Recent heated debates in the House of Commons

The fall sitting of the House of Commons is underway, and we have been debating some very serious matters on Parliament Hill.

One that you have likely been hearing about is the transfer of Tori Stafford’s killer to a healing lodge. I believe that her murderer belongs behind bars in a secure facility – period. I think this is a straightforward issue, and the Liberals’ response has been very disappointing. She should stay behind bars, not in a more comfortable facility with no bars or fences.

The Liberals also recently defeated our opposition day motion calling on the Minister of Veterans Affairs to revoke the benefits that have been extended to Chris Garnier. We learned that Garnier, a convicted murderer who is not a veteran, has been receiving benefits from Veterans Canada to pay for his PTSD – the PTSD he got from his murder of Truro police officer Catherine Campbell. The Liberals have been defending his right to receive these benefits. We believe that veterans should not be fighting for years to receive their benefits while a convicted murderer is using them freely.

Minister O’Regan announced that Veterans Affairs will no longer provide benefits to family members of veterans who are in federal or provincial prisons. However, he refused to make this measure retroactive, allowing Chris Garnier to keep his benefits.

This is another simple, straightforward issue, and I do not understand why the government will not act to address it. A convicted murderer who has never served his country should not be getting Veterans Canada benefits. The correctional system already provides prisoners with the benefits they might require. It simply should not come from veterans.

Finally, our last vote on C-71 was held in the House of Commons. I voted against this deeply flawed legislation. It does nothing but target law abiding firearms owners, and it should not be made law. It is now up to the Senate to stop this legislation. I hope that they will recognize that places unfair burdens on those who acquire their firearms legally and obey the law, but does nothing to address gang violence, rural crime, or illegal handguns.

I can be reached in Ottawa at martin.shields@parl.gc.ca. My Brooks office can be reached at 403-793-6775 or martin.shields.c1@parl.gc.ca, and my Strathmore office at 403-361-2980 or martin.shields.c1B@parl.gc.ca. Please don’t hesitate to contact me about any federal issue.

Written By

Martin Shields is the Member of Parliament for the Bow River riding, Alberta. Martin has been living in Brooks with his family for 38 years and is committed to the success and quality of the community. Martin serves as Deputy Chair of the Conservative Party’s Alberta Caucus, and as a member of the House of Commons Standing Committee on the Environment and Sustainable Development.